How To Make Egg Tempera Paint by Tony Johansen Egg Tempera Preparing the binder Separating the egg The egg must be fresh ( choosing eggs for tempera ) Use the yolk only without any white in it. The percentage of albumen in the white of the egg is too low to make good paint. Crack the egg horizontally and carefully pour the egg from one half shell into the other. Catch the white in a plate or sink. It is easiest to hold the yolk in the fingers, allowing the white to slip between the small gaps, but it is less messy to buy a purpose made egg separator that does the job for you. You find them in kitchen supply stores. However you do it, it is important not to break the yolk membrane at this point. When the yolk is separated gently dry it taking care not to break it yet. During the renaissance artist's like Cennini would have dried it by passing it from one hand to the other, wiping each hand in turn on his apron. Rolling the yolk on a paper towel achieves a similar result. Transfer the yolk to the flat of the palm when it is dry. You are ready to extract the contents.

Use the thumb and index finger to lift and hold the yolk sack over a clean glass. This is where freshness counts as the membrane weakens with age and only fresh eggs will be able to be handled in this way. Puncture the skin at the bottom of the yolk with sharp knife, avoiding any skin fragments getting into the glass. A stanley knife or scalpel are ideal for this cut. Allow the yolk contents to fall into a clean glass jar. Cleanliness of equipment is important when dealing with a paint that can potentially spoil and ruin an artwork. Discard the yolk sac. Care in obtaining the cleanest and purest yolk in this way will make better paints and avoid trouble with the paint film further down the track. The separated yolk is now ready for use in paint making, although it is common to mix a little distilled water into the yolk. Grinding Also called dispersal The pigment should have been predispersed. Predispersal is all the grinding Egg Tempera must have as it is sufficient to mix the egg and pigment paste with a spatula just before use. Pigments will require approximately equal proportions of pigment to yolk. Exact proportions for several common pigments are listed below.

A drawdown will reveal any problems with your mixing. If it is preferred to grind using the muller work quickly to avoid drying problems. The photograph shows how to hold the muller. Grind in a circular motion. Do not use a lot of pressure as the pigment particles are already finely ground, and the action of mulling is to evenly disperse the pigment through the egg binder. Scrape the mulled paint into the center for inspection. Do a quick drawdown. (How to do a drawdown ). Egg Tempera made from predispersed pigment paste will only need the one mulling. Experience teaches you the subtle difference between when the pigment is insufficiently dispersed and when the dispersal is complete, as a well dispersed paint handles differently to one where the particles are clumped or otherwise imperfectly dispersed. Trouble shooting Three tests are useful. Dabbing a little paint on clean glass and letting it dry. This will reveal if you have enough binder to pigment as too little egg will make a paint that crumbles. Well made paint should have a strong film. Also wiping a dry area of Egg Tempera paint with a dry cloth should leave no color on the cloth.

Any color on the cloth indicates poor dispersion or insufficient egg yolk. The smell test will indicate paint which is 'going off'. Immediately discard any paint that is spoiling, and scrape off the picture any paint that was used from that batch just beforehand. Spoiled paint can destroy pictures. Andreas Fokas, the foremost Egg Tempera painter in Greece who has painted icons and still life for 60 years recommends two to three drops white vinegar added to each yolk depending on its size; it acts as preservative and 'cuts the black' according to him. This applies to all colors although the caution should be observed whenever using any acidic substance around Ultramarine blue as discussed below. To one part of each of these pigments add the specified volume of egg yolk.

1 part Titanium White to 1-1/4 part egg 1 part Cadmium Yellow to 1 part egg 1 part Yellow Ochre to 1 part egg 1 part Raw Sienna to 1-1/4 part egg 1 part Raw Umber to 1 part egg 1 part Burnt Umber to 1-1/4 part egg 1 part Burnt Sienna to 1-1/4 part egg 1 part Venetian Red to 1-1/4 part egg 1 part Quinacridone Rose to 1 part egg 1 part Cadmium Red to 3/4 part egg 1 part Ultramarine blue to 1 part egg 1 part Viridian to 3/4 part egg 1 part Ivory Black to 1 part egg Ultramarine Blue Some authorities suggest that Ultramarine is not a wise choice of blue. According to Doerner this is because of the formation of hydrogen sulfide due to the reaction of the Ultramarine with the yolk constituents. The solution is to mix gum solution with the egg yolk although it is not clear as to why this would affect the formation of the hydrogen sulfide.

It does seem however that this is a problem most associated with storage of the Ultramarine as it is most prevalent in tubed Egg Tempera. It should be noted that Cennini includes Ultramarine as an Egg Tempera color and makes no mention of gum additions. This might explained by his expectation that the tempera would always be fresh made and used, although he often left out simple things that he thought were common knowledge. Anyone concerned about the use of Ultramarine can use any of the other major blue artist pigments available. Of greater concern is the common practice of adding vinegar to any tempera that contains Ultramarine. Ultramarine is very sensitive to even weak acids and can potentially bleach catastrophically. While the tiny portion used as a preservative is likely too little to be trouble in this regard, it may affect the color. It is just another reason to make the color fresh and use it immediately. Storing the tempera Tubes or jars? While it is perfectly feasible to store Egg Tempera in tubes this is usually not done. Partly that is to do with traditions that grew before the tube made the storage of a paint based on a food product feasible.

From the beginning tempera artist's have made their paints fresh and used them up either the same day, or within 48 hours at most. So, by logic with modern refrigeration and the excellent sealing properties of the collapsible tube we should expect to make the paint last a long time. Problem is, it is not so simple. Refrigeration is not advisable and while there are commercial tubed Egg Tempera paints on the market that have preservatives to prevent the paint spoiling, these colors are not hugely popular because the fresh made product is so clearly better. It seems despite logic the paint does change with storage in subtle ways and in the end the tempera artist is better off making smaller quantities every day or two as part of the painting ritual. In that case there is little point in the expense of the tubes and most Egg Tempera paint is stored in washable and reusable small glass jars. The cleaning needs to be perfect as potential sources of spoilage need to be eliminated. A couple of dozen empty jars bought new will last many years of painting usage and are very cost efficient. Related Links: How to Make Medieval Paint (Egg Tempera) Hi, Thanks for visiting my website.

My name is Will and if you have questions or would like to contribute projects or ideas you can contact me How to Make Medieval Paint (Egg Tempera) We use oil paints now but during the middle ages they didn't have oil paint. They made their own paints using eggs! Yup, that type of paint is called "Egg Tempera" Paint and it works terrific. It's the kind of thing Leonardo Da Vinci used and you can make it too. All it takes is an egg and something for pigment. In this tutorial I will show you how to make it! I also have a video at the bottom of this page if you want to watch that. Here is a portrait of DaVinci that was made using this egg tempera paint. I can't claim credit for this great portrait. It was done by a real artist! His name is Ryan and my thanks go to him for this terrific painting! The first thing you are going to need to do is grind up some pigment. You can use two stones for this. I used one large stone and one smaller stone. It makes it rather easy. Grind up your pigment into a fine powder. The finer the better.

Pigments through the Ages - Egg tempera Egg tempera 8 Egg tempera is known for its linear qualities and capacity to produce jewel-like paintings. While it was once a popular medium that reached its peak during the Renaissance, egg tempera fell out of favor with the rise of the more versatile oil paints. However, a few modern painters have embraced the medium, adopting the labor-intensive practice of creating both the paints and the panels. Some have even taken more experimental approaches. Egg tempera is a classic painting technique, tracing back to antiquity. Egg tempera is composed of ground pigment, water, and egg yolk. In some ways, egg tempera shares more commonalities with pastels or colored pencils than with acrylics, oils, or watercolor paints. Because it does not lend itself well to blending or color mixing, egg tempera relies on cross-hatching and overlays of glazing to achieve dimensionality. What is Egg Tempera? Egg tempera is composed of egg yolk, powdered pigment, and distilled water. The egg yolk serves as the binder that holds the pigment together. The addition of water turns the paint into a usable paste-like form.

Manufactured egg tempera also includes gums that act as dispersants. Although egg tempera can be purchased commercially, most egg tempera artists prefer the purity of creating their own paints, which is a relatively easy process. However, homemade egg tempera can only be used for a single painting session. As the tempered pigment sits, the yolk begins to cure, so it becomes thicker and more difficult to paint with. The water also evaporates, changing the chemical composition. Adding water doesn’t help, as the yolk becomes too dry to mix properly. Therefore, egg tempera cannot be stored for future use. Steps to create your own egg tempera paints: A) Roll the separated egg yolk on a paper towel to absorb excess white. B) Break the yolk sac with a pin. C) Mix the contents of the yolk sac with ½ -1 tsp. of water and stir. Do not include the yolk sac. D) Add water to the dry pigment to create a creamy paste. If necessary, add a drop of denatured alcohol to disperse the pigment. Mix with a palette knife. E) The pigment is now a paste. F) Add an equal amount of egg yolk to the pigment paste.

Thin the tempered medium with more water as needed. When making egg tempera paints, it is important to use only the egg yolk, minus the sac and egg white. Albumen, the protein found in egg white, prevents the paint from adhering well to the panel surface. To ensure that only pure yolk is mixed with the pigment, the egg must be gently broken, the yolk separated from white (by holding the yolk and letting the white fall through your fingers, or shifting the yolk from broken shell to broken shell, allowing the white to seep out), and the yolk carefully rolled onto a paper towel to absorb any egg white. Then the yolk is gently picked up and pierced with a needle, allowing the yolk to drain into a clean container. Approximately ½ - 1 teaspoon of distilled water is added to the container and stirred so that the egg yolk is thinned out uniformly. The goal when mixing egg tempera is to add just the right amount of egg yolk. When the right amount is used, the paint will dry to a slightly glossy finish. Too much egg yolk will make the paint appear greasy, and too little will make the paint appear chalky.

To make sure the egg yolk is properly binding the pigment, the paint can be dried on a plate. If the paint curls when scraped with a razor blade, then the mixing process was successful. Common egg tempera materials include: A) Paper towels; B) Dry pigments; C) Drafting tape; D) Measuring spoons; E) Soft-hair brushes; F) Water; G) Mixing cups; H) Gessoed panels; I) Egg; J) Palette knife; and K) Sponge. Egg Tempera Supplies The basic supplies needed to paint with egg tempera consist of dry pigments of various colors, an egg for each new painting session, distilled water, and a painting surface. Other supplies include synthetic and sable brushes in a range of sizes, a palette, palette knife, fine sandpaper, India ink, a gesso mixture, drafting tape, mixing cups, a sponge, a pencil for drawing the initial sketch on the panel, and a couple of clean jars for water. Ivory soap and a roll of paper towels are necessary for cleanup.

Common colors used by egg tempera painters are titanium white, ivory black, yellow ochre, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red dark, cadmium red light, alizarin crimson, brunt sienna, burnt umber, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, oxide of chromium, and viridian. Unlike oil paint, egg tempera is inflexible when dry, so it is best applied to a rigid, dry wood support. Preparing the Support Before painting, a wooden support is prepared, such as poplar, birch plywood, or untempered masonite. The support must be absorbent so that the egg tempera can properly adhere to the surface. To achieve this, the artist first creates a rabbit skin glue, which preserves and protects the support. Rabbit skin or hide gelatin is mixed with water, allowed to sit overnight, then slowly heated with a double boiler. Once it reaches a broth-like consistency, the heated glue is then applied thinly to the front, back and sides of the panel and allowed to dry for 24 hours. The next step is to apply a heated gesso mixture.

To make the gesso mixture, precipitated chalk, whiting, and titanium white are mixed together with the rabbit skin glue water, which serves as an aqueous binder. (Alternatively, an artist can take a shortcut by using a product such as “Fredrix Dry Gesso Mix,” in which the ingredients are already pre-mixed, and the artist only needs to add water.) The mixture is gently heated with a double boiler until the gesso has a cream-like texture. The artist then applies the warm gesso to the front, back and sides of the panel, waiting until each coat has a slight sheen before applying the next coat. Generally, four to six coats are applied and then the panel is allowed to dry for another 24 hours. Once dry, the panel can be sanded until it has an ivory finish. The first step is to draw a light sketch. Transferring the Image Many artists draw directly on their panels, while others transfer their images onto panels using graphite paper or tracing paper. To ensure proportional accuracy, tracing paper was used to create the under-drawing for this painting. Adding the darkest color values. Place darker color values over the darkest ink underdrawing areas.

This is accomplished in the shadow of the yellow vase using violet mixed with black. The first color layer is applied thinly and the ink underdrawing shows through. Using a graphite pencil, the image is traced onto the tracing paper, which lies on top of the original image. Once completed, the tracing paper is flipped over and the outlines are once again traced in graphite on the reverse side of the paper. The tracing paper is placed on top of the support and traced for a final time, transferring the graphite on the back of the paper to the painting surface. This process ensures an exact pencil rendering of the image to be painted. Adding Values To add values to the pencil outlines and shading, graded tones of India ink and water are applied to the underdrawing. Five different values from light to dark are created by adding one drop of India ink into a mixing cup, adding two drops in another cup, and so forth, each time adding more drops into a new receptacle until five drops are added. Into each cup, ½ teaspoon of water is added. The ink and water mixture is stirred with a synthetic brush. Using a synthetic brush, the artist paints over the pencil drawing with the lightest value of India ink.

The darkest ink mixtures are reserved for the darkest values in the underlying pencil drawing. This is the classic means of laying out the values in an egg tempera painting. Once the ink drawing is finished, the painting begins. Example of detail from the tablecloth. Progressive degrees of cobalt blue alter the value. When the blue is placed over the darkest area of the ink underdrawing, there is an opalescent effect. Note how the values of the cobalt blue match with the values of the underlying ink. Applying the Paint The first applications of paint on the inked surface are applied thinly and loosely. The ink value can be seen through the surface of the first coat of color applied in middle value. It is generally a good idea to work background to foreground. Egg tempera dries very quickly, so the painting must be worked section by section. To create the underpainting, the darker areas are first blocked in. For example, in the beginning stages of the sunflower, the petals are blocked in with thin layers of violet mixed with black, as well as straight violet pigment. Once this underpainting is dry, different values of yellow, yellow ochre and vermillion are mixed and added.

The lighter the color, the more opaque it will appear. Note where the lighter areas of yellow are placed; these areas have been mixed with white. Blending with egg tempera is not achieved in the same manner as oil or acrylic painting. The paint values must be “blended” by overlays of linear strokes. Opalescence is achieved by the application of a light blue value over a darker one and the ink underdrawing in the tablecloth. To create a sense of depth, warm colors can be glazed over cool colors and cool colors can be glazed over warm colors. This can be seen in the vase, where layers of purple, green, and yellow are alternated. Steps for painting petals: A) Draw with a 8H pencil on gesso. B) Ink over the drawing in corresponding values. C) Apply thin glazes of ultramarine blue and vermillion, plus black in dark areas. D) Apply a thin layer of cadmium yellow and yellow ochre to the petals for a base coat of color; light green for leaf. E) Continue with a linear approach, applying different gradations of cadmium yellow, yellow ochre, and white.

F) Add darker lines of violet and vermillion to form curve of the petal, and white to highlight the base and sides of the petal. Painting with Egg Tempera With egg tempera painting, small strokes of thinned color are applied almost in the manner that one handles a colored pencil. These small strokes of color are woven onto the picture plane through cross-hatching, glazing, and with tiny touches of more opaque paint. When thinning the tempered paint with more water, it is important to wipe the excess pigment on the brush onto a paper towel or cloth. Areas of dark and middle values are applied to the ink underdrawing of the petals. The tempera should be applied as dryly as possible to avoid the creation of “dots” of pigment. Dry brush applications of tempera are especially needed in the mid-stages of painting. Egg tempera is never applied heavily, as that would cause the paint to crack and flake off. Glazing & Opacity “Glazing” is one of the techniques used when painting with egg tempera. To create a glaze, thin, broad strokes of color are placed on top of another color (light red and blue placed over yellow ochre).

The resulting effect is similar to that of watercolors and creates a jewel-like appearance. Through various techniques, egg tempera can achieve opacity, translucency, and opalescence. When the same value and hue of a color are cross-hatched with thin lines of the same color on top of itself, the result is opacity (cobalt blue strokes placed upon a lower layer of cobalt blue). To create translucency, a dark glaze is applied over a lighter color or value (a layer of cobalt blue placed over yellow ochre). Opalescence is produced by placing a lighter color over a darker one (white strokes of paint placed over ultramarine blue). This creates a pearl-like effect in which thin strokes of light color help to emphasize light. Masking the foreground to paint the background in with thin layers of color and broad strokes. Masking In this painting, a tracing paper mask was used to protect the foreground flower arrangement in the vase, as well as the tablecloth. Acid-free drafting tape was rolled sticky side up to adhere the back of the mask to the panel. The darker colors in the background were laid in thinly and broadly with a hake brush.

Later, smaller strokes of white with yellow ochre were applied to bring up the lighter color and value. In this detail of a petal, a linear approach is utilized. Strong lines help to form the structure of the receptacle. The lightest values and colors (yellow and white) were applied last, as accents. Lights and Darks Egg tempera dries quickly, making it difficult to blend edges. Instead of blending the paint softly with a brush  as with oil painting  the different values of color must be mixed and applied near or on top of one another to create transitions in hue or value. The edges of different values can be “blended” by glazing or using linear strokes of color over an edge. For example, for the middle value of green in the leaves or the receptacle (the green area holding the petals), linear strokes of lighter green and yellow were used to bring up the lighter tones. It is akin to working with colored pencil, in that strokes of color are applied. Fine details can be added with a liner brush or brush sizes (0 -1). The fine lines can help delineate an object and also create areas of light values. Overall, tempera has a cooler color range than oils.

With egg tempera, it is not possible to achieve the deeper, warmer blacks of oil paint. Finishing an Egg Tempera Painting Egg tempera paintings take approximately six months to one year to dry completely. Unlike oil paintings and acrylic paintings, egg tempera paintings are usually not varnished. Varnish would drastically alter the appearance of the tempera painting, so most tempera painters avoid it. Some tempera painters frame their paintings by placing them under glass. Thank you to Diane Savino, who contributed this page and based the information upon her work, and David Haas for most of the photographs. What are acrylic paints made from? How are they different from oils or egg tempera? Getting Started: What are Different Types of Paints made from? by Will Kemp From Oil to Egg Yolks Same pigment, different binder. In a nutshell, most paints are made by mixing dry paint pigment together with a wet binder. The difference between the type of paints, for example, oil paint, acrylic paint or watercolour is simply due to the different type of binder used.

So the binder could be oil, acrylic polymer or even egg yolk and it’s this – that gives each paint its characteristics… Pigments Pigments traditionally started out as earth or rocks. Some of the oldest pigments are made from coloured earth, like yellow ochre and are called earth colours, they tend to be muted in colour. Different oil colours have been created as new pigments and manufacturing methods have been developed. These modern pigments are brighter and man-made. Pigments can be divided into three camps: Inorganic Pigments – Rocks, minerals or metal. Organic Pigments – Substances that were once part of a living thing, plants, bone or synthetic treatment of plant stuff. Artificial Pigments – These are often derived from organic pigments that have been chemically altered. They can make a more stable and consistent paint. A Word of Warning about Artificial Pigments For those starting painting, I wouldn’t recommend using all man-made pigments as they can ruin a painting more quickly that help it. I always adhere to the practice of starting with the dullest, most natural colours and creeping up on the stronger brighter colours. This helps you to think more tonally and will pay dividends in the long run. Think small steps.

What are Oil Paints? Oil paints are made from dry pigments ground together with an oil. Most commonly, cold-pressed linseed oil. How do Oil paints dry? Oil paints dry by oxidation (when the paint has contact with the air) It’s not the pigment that takes the time to dry, but the oil. Because oil is slow drying, oil paints have a long ‘working time’. When the oil oxidizes, it forms a solid film that binds the dry pigments together, like baking a cake, the mixture starts smooth, gets ‘cooked’ in the air and dries. Oil paint can take anywhere between 6 months and a year to fully dry, depending on the thickness of paint used. What are Acrylic paints? Acrylic paints consist of pigment suspended in a binder of acrylic polymer emulsion. How do Acrylic paints dry? As water is the vehicle for the acrylic polymer emulsion, acrylic paint’s dry by evaporation. Because water evaporates quickly, acrylics are fast drying so have a short ‘working time’ (this can vary slightly, depending on the heat and humidity of the environment you’re painting in) So, which paint will suit you best?

Have a look at the 5 key differences between oils and acrylic paint. What is Watercolour? Watercolour paints are pigments held together by a water-soluble binder, along with additives and solvents. In commercially made watercolor paints, the binder is either natural gum Arabic or synthetic glycol. This is what holds the pigment in suspension. The binder also allows the pigment to adhere to the support (e.g. paper) once it is applied. Additives, such as plasticisers (e.g. glycerin) and humectants (e.g. honey or corn syrup) are mixed in, to alter various characteristics of the watercolors, such as viscosity and durability of the paint. Other additives include extenders and dispersant’s. How do Watercolour paints dry? By evaporation. However, due to the nature and application of watercolours, you’re usually using a lot of water and a support that holds water, so the working time is more than acrylics. What is Egg Tempera? Egg tempera is made up of egg yolk, powdered pigment, and distilled water. The egg yolk serves as the binder that holds the pigment together. The addition of water turns the paint into a usable paste-like form.

Manufactured egg tempera also includes gums that act as dispersant’s are like salt, grainy particles that can be milled and crushed to make smaller and smoother. Pro Tip: To test the quality of a dry pigment, place a small amount in a glass jar, add water, give it a stir and leave for a few days. The solid particles of the dry pigment should float down to the bottom leaving the water clear. If it’s not clear, some form of dye has been added to enhance the colour. What are Pastels? Pastels are usually in stick form, similar to chalk. A pastel stick consists of pure powdered pigment and a binder, such as gum Arabic, gum tragacanth, or methyl cellulose. Pastels have a higher pigment concentration than any other artist medium (hence the rich, luminous colors that pastels can achieve). The powdered pigments used in pastels are similar to those found in oil paints. Pastels can be hard or soft. Soft pastels have more pigment and less binder, so they are easier to smudge and have brighter colours. Hard pastels have less pigment and more binder than soft pastels.

Hard pastels can stay relatively sharp, so they are ideal for pastel artwork that requires tight detail. Some Pigment Colour Pointers: There are some confusing aspects to the names of pigments, keep these points in mind: Similar pigments are sold under different trade names. For example: Winsor & Newton’s Winsor Blue and Liquitex’s Phthalo Blue are both based on the same pigment: Phthalocyanine Blue. Don’t get confused by Hue The labeling on paints can be really confusing. ‘Hue’ in colour mixing land just means the colour of a paint, i.e. that yellow has a orangey hue to it. However, in paint labelling ‘Hue‘ means ‘fake’ or ‘imitation’. So a label that says: Cadmium Red Hue means that this isn’t a pure pigment made from Cadmium Red. Some of it might be Cadmium Red but it has been mixed with something else to give it a similar colour. This used to be a sign of inferior quality paints but now it’s because some natural pigments are no longer available, not as light fast or extremely costly. You can read about the 8 key differences between student & artist grade paints here.

You might also like: These recipes utilize the pure, natural pigments in individual 3 oz. packets or bulk earth pigments . Earth Egg Tempera History: Tempera painting predates oil painting as a professional painting medium. It has unique characteristics: it produces a crisp, luminous, almost linear effect that’s quite different from oil. Using egg yolk as the binder, this ancient technique makes a water-soluble paint that dries quickly, allowing for over-painting with more tempera or other mediums. If you have never tried it, we thoroughly recommend the experience! See a detailed Step by Step with photos here on How to make Gold Egg Tempera Paint . Ingredients: egg yolk, water, earth pigments Prep Time: 5 minutes per color Process: ﻿Separate the yolk from the white: Break open an egg, cleanly separating the yolk from the white. Keeping the yolk whole, dry it by passing it back and forth in the palms of your hands, drying the palm with each pass (or roll it on a paper towel). Remove yolk from the sack: Hold the yolk over a dish or jar with your thumb and forefinger, and pierce the sack to allow the contents to flow out.

Discard the empty sac. Mix with pigments: Mix yolk with earth pigments (start with 1:1 and then add more yolk as needed), and use water to thin the paint. A drop or two of Clove Oil can be added to slow spoilage. Tempera paint does not store well once mixed, so paint away! Earth Sand Painting History: The ancient art of sand painting among Native American tribes in the Southwest was a form of religious expression. In its original form, sand paintings were created to exist only a few hours. Toward the end of the 20th century, many Native Americans began creating more permanent sand paintings by using glue under the colored sand. Ingredients: 1 cup of a fine, craft sand. 1 tsp. earth pigment Prep Time: 3 min. per color Process: Place sand in a glass jar, and add the desired amount of pigment. The amount we suggest above is only an approximation. Shake vigorously to coat the sand particles with pigments. Since pigments are not dyes, their fine particle size mixes with the sand to coat it, but the pigments do not actually dye the sand. Therefore this is not a colorfast application.

However, coloring sand by hand and choosing single or combinations of pigments gives you an infinite range of colors that cannot be matched by store-bought craft sand. ﻿Tips for sand painting:﻿ Work with only one sand color at a time. Finish all areas of your painting with that color before proceeding to a new color. Use dark colors before light ones when possible. For more permanent sand paintings, draw with glue on a hard surface, and "paint" the sand onto the glue. Upon completion of all colors, you may notice some colored sand has invaded other areas of a different color. Wait until all ares are completely dry. Then use a can of compressed air, such as that used to clean computers, to blow this excess off. Earth Pastels This is a natural chalk/pastel recipe used by many Renaissance artists for drawings. Making your own pastels allows you to create them as soft or as hard as you like. Commercial pastels have to be made hard enough to withstand breakage during shipment. As long as you're not shipping these, you can make soft pastels that are more yielding and do not dig into the under-layers of the paper as much as harder pastels do.

The paint quality will be richer, and the colors more intense. Ingredients: earth pigment, water, binder of your choice (limestone powder, wheat paste, honey or white soap (grate and dissolve a small amount in water)). Prep Time: 5 – 45 minutes, depending on which binder you use. Process: Mix pure earth pigment with a small amount of water (with a palette knife) to create a thick, paste-like material. Start with a 1:5 proportion (water to pigment) and adjust as needed. Add binder. Roll it on an absorbent surface (newspaper or paper towels). Roll it into stick form, and let it dry. If the dry pastel doesn’t hold together or is too crumbly you should add a tiny bit of binder such as wheat paste, limestone powder, dissolved soap, or a honey/water solution (1:5) - example: 1 Tbsp. pigment: 1 tsp. limestone powder. Experiment because each pigment has different properties and acts differently. Wheat paste recipe: wheat, rice, or rye flour work well. Use about 1 part flour to 6 parts water.

Mix flour with a small amount of water to make a smooth paste. Then add hot water to make a thin consistency. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens to an oatmeal-type consistency. Use immediately or refrigerate to preserve it for a few days. Ingredients: earth pigment, flour paste (or white glue), and water Prep time: 5 minutes (using glue) or 45 minutes (using wheat paste). Process: Mix 1 - 2 parts water with 1 part glue or flour paste (recipe below). Add pigments until desired color is achieved, not exceeding a ratio of 20% by volume. Note - wet paint is much darker than when it's dry on the wall. Wheat paste recipe: wheat, rice, or rye flour work well. Use about 1 part flour to 6 parts water. Mix flour with a small amount of water to make a smooth paste. Then add hot water to make a thin consistency. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens to an oatmeal-type consistency. Use immediately or refrigerate to preserve it for a few days.

Casein Earth Paint History: Derived from milk, Casein Paint dates back to Asian cave paintings, and it was widely used up until the Renaissance. It is durable, fast-drying, and water-soluble, but it smells a little strange (the smell dissipates as it dries). Do not use if you are allergic to dairy products. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. casein powder; 1 Tbsp. borax, 1 oz. earth pigment Prep time: 5 min. prep; then let sit overnight. 5 more min., and let sit an hour. Process: Mix 2 Tbsp. casein powder with 5 oz. warm water, and let sit overnight. Discard the water that accumulates on the surface. Mix 1 Tbsp. borax with 4 oz. hot water, and add to casein/water mixture. Let sit for one hour. Mix a spoonful of the casein mix with pigment in a glass bowl or on your palette. Paint on wood, paper, or canvas. Add water if you want a watercolor effect. Mixtures last a week if refrigerated. Natural Wood Stains Simple Stain: There are several techniques to make natural wood stains.

The simplest method is to add pure earth pigment to walnut oil and rub it onto wood with a clean rag. Start with 1 part pigment to 4 parts oil, and adjust proportions as needed. "Shaker" Wood Stain: Here is another technique that uses water instead of oil. Prep time: 45 min. – 2 hours Process: Combine 1 Tbsp. earth pigment and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Gently boil it down until you have a thick paste. Let this cool. Rub the stain paste into wood using a cotton cloth. Rubber gloves should be worn to prevent staining of fingers. Let each coat dry. Rub in successive coats until the wood will not absorb any more. Softwoods work well with this stain, since they are very absorbent. Since there is no binder, a sealer must be applied to prevent the color from transferring. Glair Earth Paint Glair paints were popular during the 5th century to create illuminated manuscripts. Because the paint is not very strong, it works best on paper. It’s perfect for art journaling and is very quick and easy to make. Ingredients: egg white & earth pigment Prep time: 5 min.

per color Process: Whip one egg white with a few drops of water until it's frothy. Mix 1 part whipped egg white with 1 part earth pigment. Use this paint like watercolor, thinning with water if necessary. Glair paint does not store well, so make enough for one painting session. Acrylic Earth Paint For painters who enjoy the strong, fast-drying qualities of acrylic, you can always make acrylic earth paint that is more luminous than tube acrylics because there are no fillers or preservatives. Ingredients: acrylic medium & earth pigment Prep time: 3 min. per color Process: ﻿Combine 1 part acrylic medium and 1 part pigment by placing the medium on your palette and carefully adding the pigment. For more opacity, add more pigment. Store paints in airtight containers. Thin with water. Mix 1 cup hot water with ½ cup Gum Arabic Powder Add in 1/5 cup honey (a little less than ¼ cup) Add two drops of clove or thyme essential oil to help preserve it (If you want a stronger preservative you can use sodium benzoate – a food grade preservative) -In separate bowl, mix 1 Tbsp.

honey with 9 TBSP of above mixture (1:9) Mixing in Pigment: Mix 1 part mixture with 1 part pigment (adjust as necessary) For example, 9 tsp. mixture and 9 tsp. pigment Note: Each pigment has completely different properties and behaves differently so determine what each pigment needs. For example, I found that blue needed a little more pigment than 1:1. And yellow ocher needed quite a bit more pigment. Store in airtight jars or let dry into cakes (add a few drops of glycerin if drying into cakes). Painting For many in the Western world, art means painting. ï¿½ Several reasons for the prominence of painting: 1. Paintings are usually full of color. 2. There is an impression of importance. 3. Seems like a thing set apart from the rest of the world ï¿½ with its own energy and life. ï¿½ Painting is the application of color to a surface using some type of hand tool, such as a brush or a palette knife.

ï¿½ We now tend to associate the word "painting" with a flat moveable surface to which paint has been added, such as a canvas that can be attached to a wall. Pigments One or both can be used. ï¿½ Prepared with a sealer called a size. It fills in the pores of the material. ï¿½ To complete the surface preparation for painting, an opaque primer, usually white, is applied. ï¿½ Once the surface has been coated and prepared, it is usually referred to as a prepared ground or a ground. Types of Paint ï¿½ 1. Encaustic - These paints consist of pigment mixed with wax and resin. ï¿½ Literary sources tell us that this was an important technique ancient Greece. ï¿½ The earliest encaustic paintings that survive are funeral portraits created during the first centuries A.D. in Egypt. 2. Fresco - ï¿½ In fresco, pigments are mixed with water and applied to a plaster support ï¿½ usually a wall or ceiling coated in plaster.

ï¿½ Dry plaster = fresco secco ï¿½ Wet plaster = buon fresco ï¿½ paint is made simply by applying pigment mixed with water to wet lime plaster. ï¿½ Fresco is above all a wall painting technique, and has been used for large-scale murals since ancient time. ï¿½ No other painting medium requires such careful planning and hard physical labor. ï¿½ Found in the ancient Mediterranean, China, India and early Mexico. 3. Tempera - Shares qualities with both oil and watercolor. ï¿½ The most common vehicle is egg yolk (also an emulsion). ï¿½ Traditionally, it was used on a prepared wood panel support with a ground of gesso 4. Oil ï¿½ Oil paints consist of pigment mixed or compounded with oil ï¿½ usually linseed oil. ï¿½ The oil acts as the binder, and creates as it dries a thin, transparent film in which the pigment is suspended. ï¿½ For about 500 years, the word "painting" has been virtually synonymous with oil.

ï¿½ Only since the 1950ï¿½s, with the creation of acrylic paints, has the supremacy of oil paint been challenged. ï¿½ Outstanding characteristic: it dries very slowly. 1. Advantages and disadvantages. 2. Colors can be blended subtly. 3. Layers of paint can be applied on top of other layers with little danger of cracking or separating. 4. The artist can rework sections almost indefinitely. 5. When the artist is pressed for time it is a disadvantage. ï¿½ Thick, loaded brushwork that oil made possible added a new expressive element to painting that painters were quick to take advantage of. 5. Watercolor - Egg Tempera Paint | Egg Tempera Paint Egg Tempera Paint Making Egg Tempera Paint Egg tempera paint is simply made from artist quality finely ground dry pigments, egg yolk and water. In the first instance, the egg medium should be obtained. The standard medium is pure yolk which is free from the white. If white is included in the medium it will cause the paint to dry more rapidly and to drag on application.

Obtaining the egg medium Having cracked open an egg allow as much of the white to drain off then continue the separation either by means of an egg separator or by transferring the yolk from the palm of one hand to the other. Transfer the yolk to a paper towel and gently roll the yolk towards the edge of the towel. Pierce the yolk sac and allow to drain into a clean container. Then add about a teaspoon of water and give it a good stir. You now have the medium which will bind the pigment particles. Once the sac has been pierced the contents will start to set up. It is therefore adviseable to use a fresh egg each day. The yellow of the yolk may initially affect the colors, however, the yellow will bleach out within a day. Most tempera painters prepare their pigments into a paste form. Water is added to the dry pigments to form a stiffish paste. Some pigments are gritty and it is advisable to grind these pigments further. Initial mixing of dry pigment and water with a palette knife. Grinding with a muller and plate. Making the Paint Place a small amount of the pigment paste onto the palette.

Add about equal volume of the egg medium and mix well making sure there are no lumps of pigment. Some pigments require slightly more egg medium, some require less. Add water, trial and error will dictate just how much water is required. Any amount of water can be added, the important ratio is the pigment paste to egg medium. Once the paint has been made it cannot be stored so only make sufficient paint for the particular painting session. Tempera paint is insoluble to the extent of not being picked up by over painting and when completely dry is relatively water resistant. However, the paint is not absolutely water proof and can be disturbed by the application of water. Kanelstrand: How to Make Your Own Paint 06 October 2011 How to Make Your Own Paint A guest post by Rachel of Pthalo Azul and This is Not a Craft . If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here .

Part of being an artist in this day and age, is to have paint and materials that people over 150 years ago never dreamed about (and we're still inventing hybrids of acrylic, oils, and watercolor that do really fun things) - however, most of it is made in a big ol factory in heaven-knows-where and heaven-knows-when. Some artists, for this reason as well as others, like to make their own paint from scratch in their own homes. So that's what we're going to talk about today. Not only is it cheaper for the artist that uses a lot of paint, it makes less of a footprint not only on the environment but on global trade. You can buy oils and pigments from small sources and make just enough for you so it isn't just sitting on a shelf for forty years like I suspect some of the tubes in art stores are doing. The quality is much, much higher, and the paint is tailored for the individual artist's needs. Paint isn't that complicated or mysterious when you get down to it. Its recipe is three things: a pigment, a binder, and a medium (sometimes referred to as the "thinner") that allows it to flow.

Every single type of paint from oil, to tempera, to watercolor, to encaustics are made up of only these three things. (of course some paints are very synthetic, you can't really make acrylic at home, for instance) Egg Tempura Powder pigment (not a lot of it - pigment is strong. Some pigment is also dangerous, so wear a mask before you've mixed it with the egg - the amount you use depends on the color and that's too complicated for this post) egg yolk from a freshly cracked egg H20 A great underused paint is Egg tempura. There really isn't a way to sell it in a tube because it's made out of eggs. It's the paint made famous by the monks of the 13th century, who perfected the technique on religious iconography. For a binder it uses a freshly cracked egg yolk (for those with chickens at home, free-range chickens are the very best eggs to use for egg tempura, and so if you haven't picked it up - you should!) Using a palette knife against a palette, the yolk is mixed with the pigment for half a minute or so.

Egg tempura is really thin, should dry really quickly once applied to the surface, and has to be built up in dozens of layers to get the rich colors seen in old artifacts. For a thinner, tempura painters use water - but too much will ruin the bond of the egg and the pigment. I've heard you can use a watercolor pigment for egg tempura if you don't have a powder pigment (powder pigment I'll discuss later in the tutorial) and it's meant to be painted on a board primed with oil-painting gesso. Oil Paint pigment oil (linseed oil - available at all art/craft stores - is the most popular one, but depending on the pigment people will add other types, sometimes even beeswax for an added texture) mineral spirits In olden times, people would use a rock and grind away pigment into oil for hours - nowadays there's these mortar and pestles made of glass to do the mixing. It takes a while before the consistency is just right, but I hear that the process is extremely relaxing. I know it's at least really relaxing to watch. When finished, oil paint is slapped into tubes.

Check your local art store (the higher end ones) to see if there is locally hand-mixed paint. It's a little more expensive, but is a great way to support local artists. You also know that the quality is high grade and fresh. The ratio of pigment to oil depends on the artist and the pigment. Higher grade paints use a lot more pigment - and I'm sure we've all accidentally bought that cheap red paint that took 8 coats to paint red. Its problem was not enough pigment (red pigment is very expensive). Which is why house paint will never acheive true red - they hardly add any pigment at all because it's so pricey. It's also why cheap paint is so cheap: it's missing half the ingredients. Pigment Almost all pigment nowadays is in a powder form that you can buy online. Traditionally, these powders were ground from things like mollusks, dirt, and in the 1800's they even tried using ground up mummies. Yes, Egyptian mummies. Of dead people. A thought so far beyond green, it's from a weird and scary ultraviolet place!

So I guess it isn't such a tragedy, in comparison, that all of our pigments today are synthetically produced by just a few manufacturers. However, that means the same pigment we use for an eco oil painting or the even same color that your fabrics are dyed to will also be used by a Hummer for it's lovely gas-guzzling top coat. But there's ways even around pigment - to use natural dyes and materials for the super self-reliant artist. Tea-Paint Since this is about alternative paints, I thought I would do something that we know creates pigment but have probably never painted with. Truly, you can paint with anything, so long as it reaches the three required properties of paint (and painting with tea is probably more considered a dye, but I don't want to go into that) coffee, flowers, juice, bark, dirt, tree sap, grass, there's loads of alternative pigments, but they smell (especially the process to make ink, which is infamously smelly) and so I decided to use herbal tea.

They certainly can't last as long as a synthetic pigment, but unless you have some Futarama experience on your next pizza delivery, the chances that you will still be around in 200 years to see your painting are slim. Using good paper, framing well, and hanging out of the direct sunlight will help keep that painting looking good at least until you die. I used several different teas that I soaked in hot water (about a tablespoon for each bag so it wouldn't take too long to sink in) and I soaked them for about half an hour before I got impatient and decided to start. (I apologize, I am that type of illustrator that is completely incapable of drawing anyone in normal clothes. This is literally the first thing that comes off my head and I have no idea why, but my sketchbook is full of these weird-dressed chicks.) Low quality paper won't take the tea-paint well, but high quality watercolor paper does just fine. I used a heavy lb Arches watercolor paper. The reds (which dried purple when done in thin washes) are from a raspberry herbal tea; The yellow-ochre are from a ginger tea; The bright yellow are from a licorice blend tea.

I was really surprised at the almost purple quality I got from the raspberry tea. I used just a normal graphite pencil for dark lines and I'm satisfied with my tea experiment, and most wouldn't guess that used to be in a tea bag: So I hope you give some alternative paints a spin, if not for the Earth, at least for a chance to get back to our roots, because it wasn't too long ago (about 200-300 years ago? Kay, maybe it was kind of a long time ago... ) there were no paints sold in stores - you had to make that all yourself. Making paint from scratch was once an integral part of the artist experience, and I think with the push to be more green and the push to buy locally and know where your products come from, it will gain relevancy once again. My name is Rachel Anne Jones, Raj for short - I'm an illustrator who creates pieces for my shop, Pthalo Azul , and writes for my blog This Is Not a Craft . I live in the Bay Area south of San Fransisco, and am in love with the piano, good chocolate, tall trees, and finding ways to tell stories through art.

I have a BFA in Illustration, and I've done odd jobs ranging from business cards, to painted murals, to web art, but my favorite is still working with a paintbrush and sketching in a book.

Question: What type of paint was made out of pigment and egg yolk?
Answer: Tempera